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noun · rare

cowrie

cowrie · cowries

A small gastropod common in the Indian OceanA small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.

/ˈkaʊ.ɹi/

Meaning

3 senses

A small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.
(broadly, dated)Any gastropod of the genus Cypraea; its shell.
Kaurischnecke, Kaurimuschel, Kauri
ка́уриkáuri
(broadly)Any gastropod of the family Cypraeidae; its shell.

More definitions

any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells

Translations

7 languages

Русский

any member of the genus Cypraea:

Deutsch

any member of the genus Cypraea:

Origin

Mid-17th century, borrowed from Hindi कौड़ी (kauṛī).

Mid-17th century, borrowed from Hindi कौड़ी (kauṛī).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: cowries

Singular	cowrie
Plural	cowries

regular

Synonyms

4 synonyms

shell of M. moneta:wampumshell money

Monetaria moneta:money cowrie

Close in meaning

any of numerous tropical marine gastropods of the genus Cypraea having highly polished usually brightly marked shells:cowry

Word family

1 related words

Derivedbean cowrie

See also

neighbours in the dictionary

cowl coworker coy coyote

cowrie — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto